News
New release: The World Behind Words
The new short documentary The World Behind Words about classicist and philosopher Tazuko van Berkel will premiere on Thursday 5 March at the InScience Film Festival Nijmegen and will be broadcast by NTR on NPO 2 and NPO 2 Extra.
In the film, directed by Marleine van der Werf and co-produced by Basalt Film, classicist and philosopher Tazuko van Berkel uses ancient Greek concepts to critically examine how our society is structured today. By uncovering the Ancient Greek worldview behind words such as economy, friendship, desire, trust or gratitude, she invites us to question – and perhaps even let go of – our habitual ways of thinking.
Broadcast schedule for The World Behind Words:
- Sunday 15 March, 10.00 hours., NPO 2 Extra
- Wednesday 18 March, 15.35 hours, NPO 2
- Thursday 9 April, 21.40 hours (subject to change), NPO 2 Extra – repeat broadcast as part of the Month of Philosophy and the Week of the Classics.
From 15 March onward, the film will also be available to stream on NPO Start.
Premiere at InScience
On Thursday 5 March at 19:00 hours, The World Behind Words will premiere at the InScience Film Festival Nijmegen. After the screening, a discussion will take place with Tazuko van Berkel, director Marleine van der Werf, Dutch literature scholar and philosopher Lotte Jensen and psychologist Eddie Brummelman about whether – and if so, how – we can break free from entrenched patterns of thought. The conversation will be moderated by philosopher and editor-in-chief of Filosofie Magazine, Coen Simon.
The film has been selected for the InShort Competition.
Toby Kiers wins Tyler Prize 2026
Evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers has been awarded the prestigious Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in recognition of her groundbreaking research into underground fungal networks, which play a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth.
Kiers is Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and co-founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN) Her research on fungal networks and soil biodiversity has fundamentally reshaped global understanding of ecosystems and climate health. Together with her team, she developed the world’s first Underground Atlas: a digital map of mycorrhizal fungal diversity that enables scientists and policymakers to identify and prioritise the protection of critical underground ecosystems.
Kiers previously became the youngest-ever recipient of the Spinoza Prize (2023) and was named on the TIME100 Next list (2022). The Tyler Prize, often referred to as the ‘Nobel Prize for the Environment’, carries an award of $250,000 and will be presented on 23 April 2026 at the ARTIS Planetarium in Amsterdam. Kiers is the youngest female laureate in the prize’s history.
Watch Toby Kiers in the Ammodo Doc The Underground Astronaut, directed by Marleine van der Werf, here.
Ibrahim Mahama is #1 on ArtReview's Power 100
Visual artist Ibrahim Mahama tops ArtReview’s Power 100, the annual list of the most influential figures shaping the international art world over the past year.
Mahama’s work is internationally acclaimed. He is known for his use of artefacts and discarded materials to create monumental art installations. In his work, he exposes the scars of the colonial past while imbuing historical objects with a new, more hopeful layer of meaning.
With his first-place ranking, Mahama is the first artist from the African continent to lead the Power 100. ArtReview writes: ‘His place on the list [is] a result of his role as both an artist and as creator of infrastructures that assist other artists in realising their vision.’
Alongside his artistic practice, Mahama invests in the development of new cultural infrastructures. In his hometown of Tamale in northern Ghana, he has initiated Red Clay Studio, the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA), and Nkrumah Volini, which host residencies, student projects, children’s workshops, and exhibitions.
Read the ArtReview interview with Ibrahim Mahama here.
In 2024, Ammodo released the short documentary Dear Home of Scars (directed by Marina Meijer), exploring Mahama’s monumental practice. Watch the film here.
Ammodo Docs: Films with Impact
At Ammodo Docs, we don’t just aim to reach as many people as possible with thought-provoking films about art and science – we want to spark dialogue and inspire curiosity among the audiences that matter most. In short, we want to create real impact.
That’s why, in addition to broadcasts on Dutch public television NPO (NTR), our websites and our YouTube channel, we actively bring our documentaries to places that foster encounter and reflection.
Special screenings and education
Since launching our series in 2023, we have made our documentaries freely available to museums, galleries, (film) festivals and educational institutions, both upon request and through proactive partnerships. We continue to do this, even for our earlier productions.
For example, Dancing on the Ruins was featured in the Bonnefanten Museum’s exhibition on Mounira Al Solh’s work, while Dear Home of Scars inspired a public programme with Ibrahim Mahama in the auditorium of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Read the full conversation on the Stedelijk Studies website.
Our film Three Acts, about the late Pierre Audi, was screened for audiences in Helsinki, Tokyo, and Aix-en-Provence alongside his opera productions. And director Eline Arbo held a post-screening discussion with the audience at Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA) following The Storm Within, the documentary about her work.
Science connections
Our science films are also brought directly to the places where they can have the greatest impact: at universities, research institutes and festivals such as Berlin Science Week. We further extend our educational outreach through collaborations with Docuseek (for North American universities), Netwerk Filmeducatie and Studium Generale in the Netherlands, and Green Library in Croatia.
We’re happy to support organisations that want to create their own programmes around our films – from connecting them with filmmakers and protagonists to helping shape a meaningful context. This way, every film continues to live on beyond the screen.
Interested? Get in touch at docs@ammodo.org
Recognition and reach: Ammodo Docs goes global
Since its launch in 2023, Ammodo Docs has made an impressive journey. Our films are now available not only via Dutch public broadcasting channel NPO (in collaboration with NTR) and NPO Start, but also on international festivals and streaming platforms such as Eye Filmplayer (The Netherlands) and Labocine (USA).
Viewers around the world
A careful tally shows that our 16 documentaries have now reached almost 2 million views through television broadcasts, YouTube, our website and impact screenings.
Wherever it makes sense contextually, we also work to reach relevant international audiences – for instance in Lebanon, Brazil, Ghana and across the Arab world – by adding extra subtitles or partnering with local broadcasters.
Awards and nominations
This growing reach goes hand in hand with increasing recognition: over 70 film festival selections worldwide, including more than 60 in competition, and ten prizes, nominations and honourable mentions.
Recent highlights include the award for The Digital Dilemma (by Stéphane Kaas) at ATAFF and the nomination for Interplay (by Sanne Rovers) at the Silbersalz Film Festival. Moonshot Mission opened the 2023 ScienceVille Festival, and our films have been screened at GoShort, InScience, and during outdoor screenings at On Art Poland.
This growing recognition shows how Ammodo Docs is expanding in visibility, acclaim, and audience – and how the power of short, inspiring documentaries about art and science is being recognised around the world.
Ammodo Docs in numbers
April 2023 – October 2025
16 films
1.7 million views
93 theatrical screenings
87 broadcasts
73 festival selections
Available on 16 VOD platforms
Distribution in 37 countries
Ammodo Doc about Eline Arbo premieres at ITA
On Tuesday 26 August, the short documentary The Storm Within, about theatre director Eline Arbo, will premiere at ITA. After the screening, Eline Arbo and director Marjoleine Boonstra will be interviewed. Register now for free.
In The Storm Within, Arbo reflects on her role as a leading theater director as she rehearses for the new play Haugtussa, based on a Norwegian cycle of poems in which a young woman with magical powers seeks refuge in nature. With a dark and mysterious theatrical adaptation, Arbo aims to create a world never before seen on stage.
Eline Arbo, born in Tromsø, Norway, is known for her highly acclaimed productions such as The End of Eddy (2020), The Years (2022), The Hours (2021), Prima Facie (2023), and The Laws (2024). In 2023, she succeeded Ivo van Hove as artistic director of ITA. A recurring motif in her work is the individual struggling against oppressive societal norms.
On Thursday 28 August 2025 at 15.05 hours, NTR will broadcast The Storm Within on NPO 2. After the TV broadcast, the documentary will be available on NPO Start, YouTube and ammododocs.org.
Premiere at ITA
The film will see a live premiere at ITA on 26 August, where Eline Arbo and director Marjoleine Boonstra will be interviewed. Admission is free but registration is required.
Programme
18:30 Doors open
19:00 Welcome by Ammodo, screening of the documentary, followed by a Q&A with Eline Arbo and Marjoleine Boonstra
19:40 End of programme
The event can be attended on its own or in combination with the encore performance of The End of Eddy, which starts the same day at 20.00 hours.
The Storm Within was made in co-production with Een van de Jongens.
Stephanie Wehner wins prestigious Körber Prize
Quantum scientist Stephanie Wehner has been awarded the Körber European Science Award, worth 1 million euros.
The prize recognises her research into the development of the quantum internet – an inherently secure and ultra-fast network that could revolutionise communication and computing in the future.
Her latest innovation is QNodeOS, an operating system that allows quantum devices to connect with each other without operators requiring specialised knowledge of the underlying quantum technology. Read more about it on the website of the Körber Foundation.
In 2024, Ammodo released the short documentary Moonshot Mission (directed by Sara Kolster) about Wehner’s groundbreaking scientific mission. Watch the film here.
Ammodo Doc Dancing on the Ruins about Mounira Al Solh on NPO 2
The short documentary Dancing on the Ruins about visual artist Mounira Al Solh will be broadcast by NTR on NPO 2 on 12 June 2025 at 15.20 hours. The film is part of the Ammodo Docs series.
Director Bibi Fadlalla, known for such films as Generation Pa (2024) and the Gouden Kalf-nominated short film The Women of My Land (2020) about Raquel van Haver, has made a short documentary about Lebanese-Dutch visual artist Mounira Al Solh for Ammodo Docs.
Dancing on the Ruins shows how Al Solh builds a multifaceted and playfully activist body of work. Through textiles, ceramics, installations, video and paintings, the artist creates a colorful universe in which she blends personal stories with ancient myths and musical traditions. For Al Solh, making art is her lifeline: a way to ‘resist the feeling that we are doomed.’
On 6 June 2025, the Bonnefanten opened a retrospective of Mounira Al Solh’s work, on view until 11 January 2026. The exhibition will also feature Dancing on the Ruins on screen. The film shows Al Solh working on pieces which are on view in the museum. The exhibition is supported by Ammodo Art.
This summer, NTR broadcasts the complete film catalogue of Ammodo Docs. Sixteen films are shown weekly on NPO 2 and then on NPO Start. A second previously unseen film is scheduled for 28 August 2025: The Storm Within by Marjoleine Boonstra, a short documentary about prominent theatre director and ITA artistic director Eline Arbo.
In Memoriam: Pierre Audi (1957–2025)
With great sadness, we mark the sudden and unexpected passing of Pierre Audi, a visionary force in the world of opera and music theatre.
Born in Beirut and educated in Lebanon, France and the UK, Audi’s perspective and influence were truly global in scope. Known for his imaginative and bold renderings of both classical and contemporary works, his career was defined by an uncompromising belief in the power of music theatre and opera.
Pierre Audi was more than a successful stage director. As founding director of the Almeida Theatre and later the artistic director of the Dutch National Opera (1988-2018), Holland Festival (2005-2014), Park Avenue Armory (2015-2025) and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (2018-2025) he was an inspiration and an ambassador for the artform as a whole and a defining voice in contemporary performing arts.
Audi has been a close and long-standing partner of Ammodo. Ammodo has always supported his mission to strengthen contemporary opera in his various roles and has contributed to the production of several of his performances. In 2024, Ammodo released Three Acts, a short documentary about his work directed by Marjoleine Boonstra.
He will be dearly missed by the international artistic community and all who were moved by his work.
Teun Bousema interviewed in MAX Nieuwsweekend
On 22 March 2025, Teun Bousema was a guest on MAX Nieuwsweekend on NPO Radio 1 after the premiere of the Ammodo Doc Interplay about his malaria research. ‘One malaria patient can infect up to a hundred others – that’s where both the problem and the solution lie.’
What makes Bousema’s research unique is that he not only studies how mosquitoes infect humans, but also focuses on how the malaria parasite travels from a human to a ‘clean’ mosquito, potentially causing many new infections.
The Ammodo Doc Interplay, directed by Sanne Rovers, offers a glimpse into the daily reality of Bousema’s mission — from catching mosquitoes in rural Uganda to dissecting parasites in the lab.
Ammodo Docs launch in Eye Filmmuseum
On 15 October 2024, Ammodo Docs launched four brand new films in Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. The festive event included screenings of Dear Home of Scars, Northern Winds, Three Acts and Moonshot Mission as well as Q&As with directors and film characters.
In the following week, all documentaries were broadcast on Dutch national television.
Many thanks to all present and to all who collaborated in creating these documentaries.
As of today all four documentaries are permanently available to watch online on our website or on YouTube.
Click here to see some photos from the event.
Nicole Beutler: “We’ll have to adapt, and that’s OK.”
Exeter Dance International Film Festival (EDIFF) 2023 has come to an end after screening a wide range of dance-related films, including Eyes Wide Open by Floris-Jan van Luyn, which portrays the artistic works of choreographic theatre artist Nicole Beutler.
EDIFF spoke to Beutler about the film, her artistic drive and her ways of remaining positive in spite of a dramatically changing climate. “All the news we receive daily is extremely devastating and produces fear of something terrible ahead of us. However, I am a mother, too, and I feel the necessity to use my imagination to think further.”
Ammodo Docs on Festival Tour
Since its premiere at Go Short Nijmegen, Ammodo Docs has garnered international acclaim. At Silbersalz, Europe’s foremost science film festival, the first season of Ammodo Docs has been nominated for Best Short Science Series. And at the Australian SCINEMA International Science Film Festival, The Underground Astronaut won the award for Best Short Film! This film about the groundbreaking and widely acclaimed fungus researcher Toby Kiers was directed by Marleine van der Werf. In this article from Cosmos Magazine, a science journal, you can read the jury’s report.
All Ammodo Docs films have been selected for one or more international festivals, including the St. Louis International Film Festival (USA), Bolton International Film Festival (UK), Exeter Dance International Film Festival (UK), and On Art (Poland).
Ammodo Docs season one is now free to watch online from the Netherlands. Worldwide release to be announced. Meanwhile, production for season two is in full swing.
Toby Kiers wins Spinoza Prize 2023
Congratulations! Toby Kiers is one of the two winners of the prestigious Spinoza Prize 2023, awarded by NWO, the most important science funding body of the Dutch government.
Kiers receives €1.5 million for her research into mycorrhizal fungal networks and their role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
In the words of the selection committee: ‘With her unique pioneering contribution to the theory, she has drawn the world’s attention to this field of research and in the process her work also has enormous social impact.’
Read the jury report here.
The Spinoza Prize will be awarded on 4 October 2023.
Ammodo Docs launch in Eye Filmmuseum
On 17 April 2023, Ammodo Docs launched its first season in Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. The festive event included screenings of In Between Realities, Dimension of Absence and Moving Mountains as well as Q&As with directors and film characters, and a special dance performance by choreographer Nicole Beutler.
In the following week, all documentaries were broadcast on Dutch national television.
Many thanks to all present and to all who collaborated in creating these documentaries.
As of 25 April 2023, all seven documentaries are permanently available to watch online on our website or on YouTube.
Click here to see some photos from the event.
Ammodo Docs premiere at Go Short
It was a joyous moment to say the least, when on 7 April 2023 Ammodo Docs premiered at Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen!
After a long buildup, all seven films from the first season were finally shown on the big screen. The premiere was organised in collaboration with Go Short. After the screening, Ammodo Docs welcomed the press, industry professionals, crewmembers and invited guests to a drink at the festival pavilion in front of the LUX cinema.
In the festival’s finale weekend, all Ammodo Docs films were shown again as part of the regular festival programming.
Click here to see some photos from the premiere.